I am writing today to announce the closure of the New Mexico Independent. After three and a half years of operation in New Mexico, the board of the American Independent News Network, has decided to shift publication of its news…
While environmental activists played their part yesterday during demonstrations at the capitol building, going so far as to dress up as solar panels and to sing the tune of “You Are My Sunshine,” their counterparts, the anti-cap-and-trade contingency who has…
Roughly one quarter of University of New Mexico students are unimpressed with the state’s flagship public school, according to a survey that questioned college students about their higher education experiences.
Albuquerque’s municipal elections are non-partisan, which means there aren’t party primaries to determine who will be on the ballot, and a person’s party affiliation isn’t listed next to their name on the ballot.
But the mayor’s race all of a…
A group of progressive Albuquerque elected officials endorsed Albuquerque mayoral candidate Richard Romero yesterday, issuing a statement to the widely read local political Web site Democracy for New Mexico.
A Chavez campaign mailer sent this week criticizes Richard Romero for his work as a lobbyist. The card prominently features quotes from a story I wrote in July about Romero’s lobbying, but I think it’s worth pointing readers back…
Incumbent mayor Martin Chavez has picked up the endorsement of Barb Wold, a local blogger whose site—Democracy for New Mexico—is widely read by Democrats and progressives.
Wold has been highly critical of Chavez in the past, and in 2007…
According to an e-mail sent to supporters by Albuquerque mayoral candidate Richard Romero’s staff, the Romero campaign believes that mayor Martin Chavez “is done.” The e-mail cites the Albuquerque Journal poll released yesterday—which showed Romero in last place, but…
A group of City of Albuquerque blue collar works gathered on Civic Plaza mid-afternoon last Friday to give a symbolic endorsement to mayoral candidate Richard Romero.
Although Local 624 comprises the biggest subset of City workers, it is just one…
A poll conducted 12 days before the election puts the candidates for mayor within “striking distance” of each other. Berry and Romero have spent months attacking Chavez, who only recently went on the offensive. Albuquerque’s municipal election takes place on October 6.
Some rank and file members of Local 624 may want to endorse Richard Romero for mayor, but AFSCME leaders say the union’s endorsement of incumbent mayor Martin Chavez is solid.
The endorsement of incumbent mayor Martin Chavez by the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal employees is seen as a major coup by Chavez. The endorsement was the first for Chavez by AFSCME, which has several union locals that represent various groups of City of Albuquerque workers.
Today, Local 624–which represents the City of Albuquerque’s blue collar workers–will break with that endorsement and give a nod to the candidacy of former State Senate President Pro Tem Richard Romero.
In a statement released today, Albuquerque mayoral candidate Richard Berry says he’s already released additional financial information about his finances to disprove what he calls incumbent mayor Martin Chavez’s “smears and lies.”
But NMI and at least one additional reporter have been requesting such information for days and haven’t received a thing.
Last night during a debate on KOB Channel 4, Mayor Martin Chavez challenged one of his opponents, Richard “R.J.” Berry, to release his tax returns. NMI is also seeking financial information from the candidate.
As NMI has reported, a city contractor, John Bode, has alleged in a deposition that he and his firm were victims of retaliation for not providing free or reduce air flights to Mayor Martin Chavez. Now one of…
A push poll targeting Richard “R.J.” Berry is going out to voters just weeks before the mayoral election according to KOB-TV. Both other candidates, Martin Chavez and Richard Romero, deny being behind the telephone calls, but the Berry campaign…
One thing that didn’t make it into the article I wrote about Republican Party involvement in the municipal elections was a little tangent about polling.
As the article about the Republican Party noted, the Party funded a poll in Albuquerque in December 2008 that included questions about the Albuquerque mayor’s race. The mayoral campaign of two-term State Rep. Richard Berry told the independent that they had not seen that poll.
We also know of one other poll that was conducted prior to January, that included questions about the mayor’s race. That poll was paid for by incumbent mayor Martin Chavez.
In light of the two polls we know of, we thought we’d ask the third candidate in the race, former State Senate President Pro Tem Richard Romero, if he had done any polling prior to January.
He did not do a poll in the final months of 2008, he said, nor did he see results from any polls done by others.
One of Albuquerque’s mayoral candidates is calling one of his opponents campaign themes divisive.
Former State Senate President Pro Tem Richard Romero said that State Rep. Richard Berry’s charge that Albuquerque is a “sanctuary city” is a “politically-charged wedge issue” meant to serve no purpose other than to divide the community.
Albuquerque’s municipal elections are supposed to be non-partisan, but in this year’s mayoral race the Republican Party has been quite active in support of one particular candidate, two-term State Rep. Richard Berry–who is a Republican. The party has helped Berry with canvassing and volunteer labor, and Berry has used telephone lines and a copy machine at the state party headquarters. In addition, the Republican Party funded a poll, late in 2008, that included questions about the Albuquerque mayoral race.
The Independent hosted a mayoral forum last night in conjunction with KUNM radio, KNME public television, and the Alibi weekly, and a lot of hot topics came up. One was the proposed modern streetcar system, which has lately been made a campaign issue.
Incumbent mayor Martin Chavez and two-term State Rep. Richard Berry have gotten into a tit for tat over the past week about what it actually is and whether it’s worthy. Berry’s against it, and Chavez is all for it if the voters give it the green light.
Former state senate president pro tem Richard Romero made it clear last night what he thinks about the proposed modern streetcar system: he’s against it. We need to expand the bus system first to all areas of the city. Plus, todays economy won’t support the street car.
At last night’s mayoral forum, the three candidates were asked if they would support efforts at the New Mexico state legislature to give gay people the right to marry.
Former state senate president pro tem Richard Romero said unequivocally that he did support gay marriage.
Two-term State Rep. Richard Berry said just as unequivocally that he didn’t.
But incumbent mayor Martin Chavez gave a classic political response, perhaps indicating he has political ambitions that beyond the Albuquerque mayor’s office. He gave his full support to equality and civil rights for the GLBT community without ever uttering the quotable term “gay marriage.”
On Wednesday night, the New Mexico Independent and KUNM-FM,KNME-TV and Weekly Alibi, cohosted a lively debate between RJ Berry, Martin Chavez and Richard Romero. The event was held in front of a clapping, cheering (and booing and hissing) live audience at the National Hispanic Cultural Center, but it was also broadcast live on the radio and webcast online. Click the headline to read a transcript of the live blog.
Join us tonight as The New Mexico Independent joins forces with KUNM-FM, KNME-TV and Weekly Alibi to host a lively debate between RJ Berry, Martin Chavez and Richard Romero, the three candidates who will be on the…
